All That Glitters
by Alyssa86InMN
Summary: Response to a fanfic challenge.
1. The Spirit of Christmas

The faces of the three children lit up like the Christmas tree did as the mountains of gifts caught their attention. Little Hannah's eyes sparkled with the spirit of Christmas as Cliff's smile spread across his face. Their aunt, Zoe, stood back and watched in glee as her nieces and nephew showed their gratitude by ripping open each of their presents. She loved to see them happy; especially after the life they lived the past couple of years with their mother gone and Zoe as their guardian. Moving from Las Vegas to take care of them three years before was the greatest decision of her life. Not only had her love for the kids grown, so had her love for the men of Chicago, one man in particular though.

The doorbell rang and Zoe knew who it was. Her heart raced at the thought of seeing him again. She sprung from her position on the couch and approached the door. She could see his silhouette through the curtained window and she smirked even before touching the knob. She swung open the door and he gave her one of his adorable, suave smiles as he stepped into the house with the gifts he brought and gave her a quick kiss.

"The kids are just now opening their presents." Zoe commented.

"I'll just go give these to them then and I'll give you yours." He said.

"Okay." She said, following him into the living room and taking a seat back on the couch.

"Here you go, kids, more presents!" he announced as he handed each one to the right person.

They gave their thanks and then ripped open the paper to reveal the surprises they had received.

"Matchbook Romance concert tickets! Third row!" Taylor shrilled as Hannah jumped with excitement with her doll that looked exactly like her. Cliff, with his brand new skateboard, was already rolling down the hallway.

"Cliff! Not in the house!" Zoe yelled.

"But I can't do it anywhere else!" he complained.

"Well then I guess you'll have to wait until spring, now won't you?"

Cliff picked up his board and returned to the living room to finish the unwrapping.

He stood watching, knowing the gifts he gave were a success; he only had one more to give. He slowly approached Zoe, taking a seat beside her. He looked into her dazzling eyes and felt warm inside. Only Zoe could make him feel that way and he knew it was love. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, gray velveteen box and held it in his hand, slowly bringing it closer to her. Zoe's eyes darted from his eyes to the box and back again. She knew what it was and it scared her. She cupped the tiny box in her hands.

"Oh, Dan," she said as she lifted it open.

To be continued.....


	2. Holiday Clues

Dan sat watching with a mischievous smirk as Zoe's shocked smile turned to confusion. Zoe pulled out the contents of the box and held it up in the air.

"A slip of paper, Dan?"

"Well, read it!" he insisted.

Cautiously, Zoe unfolded the paper and read aloud what it said. "_Roses are red; violets are blue; go to the kitchen to find the next clue."_

"You think you're clever don't you?" Zoe commented, giving him a sassy glare.

"Just go to the kitchen." Dan said, never moving from his seat

Zoe lifted herself from the plush sofa and curiously went to the kitchen to find on the island a bouquet of blue violets with a small card attached. She took the card and read to herself what it said. _"Red roses at the top of the stairs, but don't go far, you still are not there."_

"Wow, these just keep getting cheesier and cheesier."

Zoe exited the kitchen and found that Dan had disappeared.

"We aren't supposed to tell you where he went." Hannah said, as she brushed her dolls hair, never looking up.

Zoe sighed before turning to climb the staircase. With each step she could see a bit of crimson from the roses the card had mentioned. Attached were a card and a leash, which confused her most. _Almost finished is the deed, so look around and follow my lead._ Read the card as she carried both bouquets and the dog leash into the hallway.

With a smile on his face, Dan appeared from the bathroom by her bedroom, "Hello, Zoe, I see you made it this far."

Startled by his presence, Zoe jumped back. She was about to ask where this was all leading to, but Dan quickly put a finger to her mouth and took her free hand. He led her, like the card had said, to Zoe's bedroom door.

"Dan," Zoe started to say.

"Close your eyes." He said.

She closed her eyes, and then heard the sound of her door opening. Dan put his hand on the small of her back to nudge her into the room. She could smell something different about the room but wasn't sure what it was.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." Dan said, standing off to the side to see her reaction.

Slowly Zoe opened her eyes and saw the reason her room smelled different. All around the room were rose petals. They were on her floor, her dressers, her nightstands and her chairs but in the middle of her bed where no rose petals lay, was a large basket filled with them.

"Look in the basket." Dan said.

Zoe smiled, unsure of what it could be. As she got closer she could see some movement coming from inside, which made her even more cautious to approach it. She sat on the bed and ever so slowly brushed away the petals before she came upon a sleeping puppy.

"Oh my God, Dan." She whispered as she stroked the puppy's fur.

Dan soon joined her on the bed and took the puppy away from its bed. He handed the ball of fur to Zoe, hoping she'd see the last surprise.

"Does it have a name?"

"I didn't put one on her name tag yet. I'm sure you and the kids would want to name her anyway."

Zoe started to search for the supposed nametag on the collar, but all she found was a small ribbon with something attached. "What's this?" She asked, as the object glistened in the sunlight before realizing what it was.

Dan knew it was his cue, so he got down on his knee and asked, "Zoe, will you marry me?"

As tears started to form in her eyes, a smile crept across her face. She nodded and said, "Yes."


End file.
